Whiteabbey Presbyterian Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached double-height Italianate Presbyterian Church, built c.1830 (extensively renovated c.1900), located to the west of Shore Road. The plan is cruciform with lean-to extension to the south-west corner. The church is abutted to the north and west by a modern hall.

Roofs are slated and pitched with corbelled masonry verges, and chimney stacks to transepts. Walls are ruled-and-lined render over stepped rendered plinth with rendered quoins. Windows are leaded stained glass; square-headed to ground floor and round-arched to first floor, set within recessed double-height round-arched arcades, unless otherwise stated.

Principal elevation faces east. It consists of breakfront porch to left and square tower with cupola to the right. The breakfront is divided into three parts. Each bay has round-arched opening with moulded impost and archivolt with keystone, containing double-leaf timber panelled entrance doors with fanlight, to ground floor. Bays are divided by paired pilasters with ornate Ionic capitals with garland on plinth, surmounted by frieze and cornice. To first floor level, there is an oculus window with moulded surround to each bay, again divided by paired pilasters, with Corinthian capitals, surmounted by triangular pediment containing oculus to apex. The arrangement is flanked to each side by flat roofed section with rusticated quoins and cornice.

Tower is three-staged. First stage is lined with rusticated quoins, terminating at parapet level with cornice (continuous from breakfront). Second stage has paired pilasters supported on console brackets to corners, and a single round-arched plainly glazed window with rendered voussoirs and cavetto moulded surround to centre. Stage terminated by cornice and frieze. Third stage has console bracket finials to corners and consists of octagonal bell tower with pilasters to each corner, surmounted by frieze and cornice with copper cupola to top.

South elevation is seven windows wide, consisting of, from left, chancel, transept, nave and breakfront. Left bay has single window to first floor and round-arched-headed timber panelled double-leaf door to ground floor. Abutted to right by gable end of transept which is two windows wide. East elevation of transept is one window wide. Nave, to centre, is three windows wide, two bays to left have single double-height window. Right bay is end bay of breakfront, containing single round-arched window to ground and first floor. Elevation abutted to left by single-storey lean-to boiler house with louvered door to east.

West elevation completely abutted by modern hall. West elevation of tower as east elevation, with blind window to second stage, and square-headed door to ground floor.

North elevation as south elevation. Abutted to left by projecting tower, as east elevation with additional round-arched-headed leaded stained glass window to first floor level. Right bay abutted by modern link block to modern hall.

Setting

Building set within church grounds with modern hall (of no interest) to north and outbuilding to south-east. Outbuilding has pitched and slated roof with simple verges, and roughcast walling with rendered quoins. Windows have been blocked but are still evident by visible cills. Church bounded to road by rubble walling to south and east, abutted by modern rendered walling supporting square gate pillars and steel railing.

Roof Natural Slate
Walling Smooth render
Windows Leaded stained glass
Rainwater goods Cast iron

Historical information

The church is shown on the first edition OS map of 1833. The Townland Valuation of 1834 records the Presbyterian Meeting House which is valued at £15.17s 0d. Griffiths Valuation of 1857 records the Presbyterian Church, yard and National School, with total value of £80.0s.0d. Valuation Revisions from 1863 onwards, show the value increased to £90.0s.0d, with the addition of a session house. The value remains unchanged from this through subsequent valuations, latest dated 1901.

James Boyle, in the OS Memoirs dated 1839, writes of the church: ‘The Presbyterian meeting house at Whiteabbey was built in 1833 by subscription and cost 905 pounds, with 84 pounds 8s for enclosing and improving the ground intended for the burial ground, consisting of about three roads planted with forest trees and shrubs. Bell cost £16, from Glasgow. The style of the meeting house is the Grecian and Doric, with a neat tower surmounted with a belfry and dome. This is said to be the first meeting house, Presbyterian, since the reformation in Ireland which is ornamented with a spire or dome…Necessity of building it arose from the increase of inhabitants attached to the manufactory in the neighbourhood and an account of the distance from any other place of worship. Site was granted from the proprietor Henry Lyons Esquire, Old Park’ (pg 82).

According to the Synod records, religious services in the village of Whiteabbey began in 1831 in a local school house for the growing population, due to the lack of churches between Carrickfergus and Belfast. Rev. Dr Cooke canvassed the erection of a church in the area. The population voted and it was decided that the chosen congregation should be Presbyterian. The first minister, Mr William Campbell, was ordained in the church in November 1833. The original meeting house was built to designs by architects Miller, Smith, Duff, Jackson and McGuigan.

The church was extensively renovated in 1900, under the ministry of Rev. Robert K Hanna, at a cost of £5000, to designs of Nicholas Fitzsimmons, with building work carried out by contractors Stewart.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/1/57/1 - First Edition OS Map (1833)
2. PRONI VAL/1/A/1/57 - Townland Valuation Map (1836)
3. PRONI VAL/1/B/115A -Townland Valuation (1836)
4. PRONI VAL/2/A/1/57 - Griffiths Valuation Map (1857)
5. PRONI VAL/2/B/13A - Griffiths Valuation (1859)
6. PRONI VAL/2/D/1/6 - Griffiths Valuation-Whiteabbey Town Map (1859)
7. PRONI VAL/12/D/1/57A - Valuation Revision Map (1859-76)
8. PRONI VAL/2/B/5/12A-F - Valuation Revisions (1863-1901)
9. Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland, Parishes of County Antrim I, 1838-9, Vol 2.

Secondary Sources

1. Rev. W. B. McMurray, ‘Times and Tides: A History of Whiteabbey Presbyterian Church 1833-1995’.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance

Evaluation

A substantial Presbyterian Church on a prominent location on the Shore Road in Whiteabbey, while early nineteenth century in origin, the extensive renovations of the late ninetenth century resulted in a High Victorian Italianate style building with composite orders and ornate plasterwork. The church has a square tower to the main elevation of three stages with classical details, surmounted by an unusual cupola. Detailing is well preserved and character is retained. Its style and completeness make it a significant example of late Victorian ecclesiastical architecture.